Cartridge holder

ABSTRACT

A CARTRIDGE HOLDER PARTICULARLY SUITABLE FOR ATTACHMENT TO A BELT CLIP AND LIKE HAVING A PLURALITY OF LOOPS FOR RECEIVING CARTRIDGES, WHEREBY THE LOOPS ARE SPACED APART FROM THE BELT LOOP TO MAKE THE CARTRIDGES MORE EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO THE USER. A FLEXIBLE RETAINING LEDGE ALSO OVERHANGS THE END OF EACH CARTRIDGE SO AS TO PREVENT THEIR ACCIDENTAL REMOVAL WHILE PERMITTING THEM TO BE EASILY REMOVED BY THE USER.

Nov. 14, 1972 J. CIRILLO CARTRIDGE HOLDER Filed Dec. 1, 1970 FIG.2 x

INVENTOR JAMES CIRILLO BY (Q8 2 S ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,702,671 CARTRIDGE HOLDER James Cirillo, 969 E. 83rd St., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11236 Filed Dec. 1, 1970, Ser. No. 94,058 Int. Cl. F42b 39/00 US. Cl. 224- 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cartridge holder particularly suitable for attachment to a belt clip and the like having a plurality of loops for receiving cartridges, whereby the loops are spaced apart from the belt loop to make the cartridges more easily accessible to the user. A flexible retaining ledge also overhangs the end of each cartridge so as to prevent their accidental removal while permitting them to be easily removed by the user.

This invention relates to an improved cartridge holder particularly adapted for portable use to permit the user to quickly reload a weapon.

More specifically, this invention relates to a cartridge holder for mounting on a belt loop, whereby the cartridges are spaced apart from the belt loop and include a flexible ledge which prevents the cartridges from being accidentally removed.

Conventional cartridge holders which are customarily Worn on the belt by security personnel, police, and others, include a plurality of cartridge receiving loops which are secured or mounted against the belt loop or tunnel. It is often diflicult to remove the cartridges, particularly when the user is in a sitting or stooped position. Moreover, the cartridges which are carried in conventional cartridge holders often become accidentally ejected due to the movement of the person carrying the cartridge holder.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an improved cartridge holder, wherein the cartridge loops are mounted on a spacer which is secured to the belt loop or tunnel. The spacer locates the cartridges away from the users belt line by a sufficient clearance so that the cartridges can be quickly removed for reloading a weapon, without interference from the clothing or the body of the user. The apparatus according to the present invention also includes a retaining rim or flexible flange which overhangs slightly over the back end of the cartridges so as to prevent their accidental ejection due to the severe movement of the body of the user. Because of the flexible properties of the retaining flange, a cartridge can be easily withdrawn by pushing on the nose or front of the cartridge and urging it upward against the edge of the flange. The projecting rear portion of the cartridge can then be grasped by the thumb and forefinger of the user in order to reload the Weapon. The cartridge holder can be loaded with new cartridges by simply pushing the cartridges down into the cartridge loop until the retaining flange snaps over the cartridge rim.

It is therefore an object according to the present invention to provide an improved cartridge holder which permits the easy insertion and quick removal of cartridges for reloading a weapon.

It is another object according to the present invention to provide an improved cartridge holder having a spacer for locating the cartridges away from the belt of the user, and a retaining flange for preventing their accidental ejection.

It is still a further object according to the present invention to provide an improved cartridge holder which is simple in design, easy to manufacture, and reliable in operation.

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Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing which discloses the embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that the drawing is designed for the purpose of illustration only, and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.

In the drawing, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a front plan view of the cartridge holder according to the invention;

F121G. 2 is a top plan view of the cartridge holder of FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along section 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 illustrates the operation of the improved cartridge holder of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, there is shown the improved cartridge holder generally designated as 10, according to the invention, comprising a cartridge support member having a plurality of cartridge loops 11 disposed therein in a side-by-side arrangement, and a spacing member 13 for spacing the cartridge loops away from belt loop 20. Belt loop 20 includes a tunnel for receiving a standard sized belt 17 and is preferably constructed of a flexible material, such as leather. The loop is closed on its bottom edge by means of stitches or fasteners 16. A retaining flange 14 projects slightly over the rim of cartridge 12 up to the outer edge of the primer of the cartridge so as to retain the cartridges within loops 11 and prevent their accidental removal. Loops 11, spacer 13 and retaining flange 14 are preferably an integrally formed single or unitary construction of a resilient material, such as plas tic, rubber, neoprene, and the like, which is secured along the top front edge of belt loop 20. In another embodiment, retaining flange 14 may be an L-shaped member constructed of plastic, neoprene or rubber, and provide the mounting surface for spacer 13, which may be constructed of leather, as shown in detail in FIG. 4. In order to remove the cartridges, the user need only push the nose of the cartridge upward with the index finger, as shown in detail in FIG. 4, until the back or rim of the cartridge snaps past retaining flange 14. The projecting rim portion of cartridge 12 can then be grasped by the thumb and forefinger and easily loaded into the cylinder or chamber of the weapon or firearm.

Several prototype models of the improved cartridge holder of the invention have been used very successfully by police personnel and found to facilitate the rapid reloading of a revolver on the firing range as well as while driving a motor vehicle. The cartridge holder of the invention permits police personnel to reload their revolvers with only one hand. On the firing range, the cartridge holder of the invention has been found to significantly reduce the reloading time of a firearm, while the user is in a standing or sitting position.

While only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A cartridge holder, comprising:

a belt loop;

a cartridge support member, for holding the cartridges,

having a plurality of circular cartridge loops disposed therein for receiving the cartridges, and a spacing member integrally formed therewith and afiixed to said belt loop, having a vertical length equal to the length of said cartridge loops, and disposed between said cartridge loops and said belt loop for in said cartridge support member, spacing member and spacing said cartridge loops outwardly apart from flange are constructed of resilient plastic material. said belt loop; and

an elongated, rectangular-shaped flexible flange, inte- References Clted grally formed with said mounting member and said 5, UNITED STATES PATENTS spacing member, and disposed above said circular 1,781,816 11/1930 Jovino cartridge loops so as to extend to the outer edge of 2,995,280 8/1961 Thiel-ry 224 20 the primers of the cartridges in said cartridge loops 2,007 95 7 1935 Siebert 224 X an prevent ejectment of the cartridges from said cartridge1oops 10 GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Exahiner 2. The cartridge holder as recited in claim 1, wherein J M, FQRSBERG, A i t E i said belt loop comprises a folded sheet of leather material stitched together at its edges so as to form a tunnel CL therethrough for receiving the belt of the user, and where- 15 224.23 

